Host City of the 2010 Winter Games | City of Vancouver Host City of the 2010 Winter Games Media centre Host City of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games In February and March of 2010, Vancouver took its place on the world’s stage by hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Games were an rare opportunity for Vancouver to create an amazing and memorable experience for locals, visitors, and athletes. The lasting legacy of the 2010 Winter Games The City continues to see an excellent return on investments made in the 2010 Winter Games, from sustainable community centres to public art, community involvement, and transportation infrastructure. Artwork that will live on in the city As part of the legacy component of the Games, the City commissioned a collection of light-based artworks and sculptural installations to animate Games venues and locations around the city. All of the works, but one, are permanent. A leading sustainable community The Olympic Village housed 2,800 athletes and officials during the Games. Now a residential community, it is one of the greenest communities in the world, making Vancouver a leader in sustainable development.

Award-winning recreation facilities The facilities used for the Games (Creekside and Hillcrest community centres, as well as the Killarney and Trout Lake rinks) were planned as a community recreation legacy: budgeted, designed, constructed, and converted with the specific post-Games use in mind. A community of volunteers Learn how you can volunteer for public events, emergencies, and disasters with the Vancouver Volunteer Corps. Did you know? Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics - results & video highlights Official Reports arrow The venues for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games stretched over a 120-kilometre zone from Richmond, through downtown Vancouver and north to the mountain resort of Whistler. Drawing on both new and existing facilities, VANOC’s goal was to create spectacular theatres for sport that provide top conditions for athletes and a welcome place for spectators to experience the excitement of competition. Vancouver Venues Overview The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games events in Vancouver included curling, figure skating, ice hockey, sledge hockey, short-track speed skating and wheelchair curling.

Speed skating took place in Richmond, while the snowboard and freestyle skiing events were hosted at Cypress Mountain in the District of West Vancouver. The Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, were staged indoors at BC Place in Vancouver city centre. Whistler Venue Overview For the 2010 Winter Games, Whistler hosted Olympic and Paralympic Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon, as well as Olympic Nordic combined, ski jumping, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. Olympic and Paralympic Villages and media facilities were located in Vancouver and Whistler. Quick Facts about the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games 17 days of Olympic Games events 2566 athletes 10,000 media representatives 3 billion television viewers worldwide The city of Vancouver was elected host city of the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010 at the 115th IOC Session in Prague on 2 July 2003.

Eight cities applied to host the Games: Andorra la Vella (Andorra), Bern (Switzerland), Harbin (China), Jaca (Spain), PyeongChang (Republic of Korea), Salzburg (Austria), Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Vancouver (Canada). The following cities were accepted as Candidate Cities to host the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board on 28 August 2002 (in the order of drawing of lots): Vancouver (Canada) PyeongChang (Republic of Korea) Bern (Switzerland) On 27 September 2002, the city of Bern withdrew its candidature to host the XXI Olympic Winter Games. 115th IOC Session, 2 July 2003, Prague: Election of the Host City of the XXI Olympic Winter Games: Rounds 40 56 On the obverse, the Olympic rings marked in relief accompanied by Aboriginal designs taken from the orca work produced by laser and giving the impression of additional texture.

On the reverse, the official name of the Games in English and French, the two official languages of Canada and the Olympic Movement. Also present are the 2010 Olympic Winter Games emblem and the name of the sport and event concerned. The undulating shape of the medals was devised by Omer Arbel, a Canadian industrial designer and architect originally from Vancouver. This distinctive look requires the medal to be struck nine times as part of the 30-step fabrication process. The inspiration for these medals came from a large artwork by Corrine Hunt, a Vancouver-based artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage. Each of the medals has a hand-cropped section of the artwork, thus making each medal one of a kind. More info Quatchi and Miga The Vancouver Games mascots were creatures inspired by the fauna and tales of the First Nations on the West Coast of Canada.

Number of torchbearers: around 12 000 in Canada and 560 in Greece Total distance: around 45 000 km in Canada and 2 180 in Greece Countries crossed: Greece, Canada More info The official report of Vancouver 2010 has a unique format: an official commemorative book published by Wiley, “With glowing hearts” and a multimedia set, “Post-Games report guide: the official report of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games”. This set contains an explanatory brochure, two CD-ROMs containing the official results and texts, as well as a commemorative film on DVD, “The Canada that now is”. The two volumes are fully bilingual – French and English. City Mayors: 2010 Winter Olympics City Mayors reports news from towns and cities around the world. Worldwide | Elections | North America | Latin America | Europe | Asia | Africa | Events | Mayors from The Americas, Europe. Asia, Australia and Africa are competing for the annual World Mayor Award. More City Mayors ranks the world’s largest as well as richest cities and urban areas.

It also ranks the cities in individual countries, and provides a list of the capital cities of some 200 sovereign countries. More City Mayors reports political events, analyses the issues and depicts the main players. More City Mayors describes and explains the structures and workings of local government in Europe, The Americas, Asia, Australia and Africa. More City Mayors profiles city leaders from around the world and questions them about their achievements, policies and aims. More City Mayors deals with economic and investment issues affecting towns and cities. More City Mayors reports on how business developments impact on cities and examines cooperation between cities and the private sector. More City Mayors describes and explains financial issues affecting local government. More City Mayors lists and features urban events, conferences and conventions aimed at urban decision makers and those with an interst in cities worldwide. More City Mayors reports urban environmental developments and examines the challenges faced by cities worldwide. More City Mayors reports on and discusses urban development issues in developed and developing countries. More City Mayors reports on developments in urban society and behaviour and reviews relevant research. More City Mayors deals with urban transport issues in developed and developing countries and features the world’s greatest metro systems.

More City Mayors examines education issues and policies affecting children and adults in urban areas. More City Mayors investigates health issues affecting urban areas with an emphasis on health in cities in developing countries. More City Mayors examines the importance of urban tourism to city economies. More City Mayors examines the contributions history and culture make to urban society and environment. More City Mayors describes the history, architecture and politics of the greatest city halls in the world. More City Mayors invites readers to write short stories about people in cities around the world. More City Mayors questions those who govern the world’s cities and talks to men and women who contribute to urban society and environment. More City Mayors profiles national and international organisations representing cities as well as those dealing with urban issues. More City Mayors reports on major national and international sporting events and their impact on cities. More City Mayors lists cities and city organisations, profiles individual mayors and provides information on hundreds of urban events. More The 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will take place in Vancouver from 12 to 28 February 2010.

The Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities will run from 5 to 14 March 2010. How the City of Vancouver became involved In February 1998, a group of local citizens formed the Olympic Bid Society, and approached Vancouver City Council for support of a Vancouver/Whistler bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Council approved a recommendation to support the concept in principle. To address concerns about potential costs and liabilities involved in hosting the Games, the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia entered into the Participation Agreement in November 1998. The Participation Agreement provides the City of Vancouver with an indemnity for any costs, losses, and liabilities related to the bid and the Winter Olympics other than those agreed upon by the City. On the basis of the Participation Agreement, the City agreed to act as host city and proceed with the bid. In December 1998, the Vancouver bid was selected by the Canadian Olympic Association (now the Canadian Olympic Committee) to represent Canada in the international bidding competition to host the 2010 Games. The City, the COA and the bid group signed the Bid City Agreement.

The Bid City Agreement authorized the City to present the bid to the International Olympic Committee, and set out the roles and responsibilities of the parties in presenting the Bid including: community consultation, intellectual property matters (trademarks and copyright), marketing, expenses, the signing of the IOC Host City Agreement, federal and provincial assistance and incorporation and operation of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. The terms of the Bid City Agreement require the City to work with the COC to ensure that all aspects of the bid are developed, managed and presented in the best possible manner and in compliance with the provisions of the Olympic Charter and the directions issued by the IOC to candidate cities. In June 1999, the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation, was incorporated to organize and develop plans to win the right to host the Games. Now that Vancouver has been selected to host the 2010 Winter Games, a new company will be incorporated as the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) to plan and present the Games. The venues Ice hockey, figure skating, curling and short track speed skating, along with the opening and closing ceremonies, will take place in the City of Vancouver.

The University of British Columbia will also host some hockey events. Simon Fraser University will host the speed skating events, and Cypress Mountain will hold snowboarding and freestyle skiing. For Whistler, the events proposed are alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping, bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton, as well as all the Paralympic events. Athletes' villages and media centres will be built at both locations. The Vancouver organisers estimate that the Games will be attended by some 5,000 atheletes and Olympic officials, 10,000 media representatives, 14,000 volunteers and up to 2.3 million spectators. Initial cost of Vancouvers bid The Bid Corporation's budget for the bid was Can$34 million. Of the $34 million budget, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have each provided $9.1 million in financing. Government and public corporations financed 54 per cent of the Bid, and private companies provided 46 per cent of the funding.

Corporate and other supporters included: Telus, Molson, Canadian Tourism Commission, BC Lottery Corporation, CIBC, ICBC, BC Association of Broadcasters, National Post, The Province; VanNet Newspapers, Vancouver Sun, and Viacom Outdoor. The City of Vancouver provided $300,000 to the Bid Corporation's Bid budget in 2000. In July 2002, Vancouver City Council approved another Can$450,000 in funding from the City's contingency reserve to support the City's participation in the Bid process to be used for security planning, cultural initiatives, and staffing and administration. Estimated cost of hosting the Games The budget for hosting the Games is broken down into two categories: the capital infrastructure budget and the Games operating budget. The capital infrastructure budget covers the construction of new venues and the renovation of existing facilities. The federal and provincial governments would equally fund the Can$620 million (=US$402.5 million) budget. The estimated total operating budget for hosting the Games is Can$1.3 billion (US$844 million), which is expected to be funded by television revenues, corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, licences and other private contributions.

Government funding is not intended for the operating budget. Can$86 million (US$55.7 million) of the OCOG's capital budget (funded by the provincial and federal governments) would be spent on upgrading or constructing City-owned facilities. The City of Vancouver has committed itself to:  renovating an existing community ice arena to provide an international-size hockey arena (ice sheet only) at an estimated cost of $5 million, $2.5 million of which would be contributed by the OCOG.  developing the permanent facilities (to be sold or rented after the Games) for the Vancouver athletes' village. The estimated Can$167 million ($108 million US) cost would be funded from land sales, and the $30 million contribution by senior governments. In keeping with the multi-party agreement, Vancouver will also:  provide those services that would normally be provided by the City within its jurisdiction and its normal budget.  provide a level of police service that would organize schedules to accommodate the maximum allowable deployment to the Games under the City's normal budget.

 forgo any revenue lost by the City due to activities approved by the City relating to the Games, including rent for City-owned venues, and parking revenues for City parking lots and streets. The Province of British Columbia will be responsible for any cost overruns from the Games. The Province has provided a written guarantee to this effect to the IOC. The Province has also provided an indemnity and release to the City of Vancouver in the form of the Participation Agreement. Larry Campbell, former Mayor of Vancouver Introducing Larry Campbell, former Mayor of Vancouver Larry Campbell, who has been mayor of Vancouver since December 2002, was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1948. In his early years he worked as a steelworker in Hamilton. After moving to Vancouver in 1969, Larry Campbell worked for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), becoming a member of the Drug Squad in 1973. He changed careers in 1981, and established the first Vancouver District Coroner's office. In 1996, Mr Campbell was appointed British Columbia Chief Coroner, at a time when drug overdose deaths in the province rocketed to as high as 400 deaths per year.

He advocated publicly for drug use to be considered a health issue, and was instrumental in bringing the issue to national attention, leading to the development of the Four-Pillar Approach to Vancouver's drug crisis - enforcement, treatment, prevention and harm reduction. Larry retired as BC Chief Coroner in 2000, but continued to advocate on behalf of the thousands of people suffering from drug-related harm. He worked as a private consultant, and provided forensic services for both industry and government. In addition, he was a script writer for the Gemini award-winning television series Da Vinci's Inquest, which chronicles the life of a Vancouver coroner. In 2005, Larry Campbell was appointed to Canada's Senate. 2010 Winter Paralympics: Vancouver Canada - Disabled World 2010 Winter Paralympics: Vancouver Canada Synopsis: The 2010 Winter Paralympics were held in Vancouver and Whistler British Columbia Canada between March 12 to March 21 2010.

About 2010 Paralympics The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially the X Paralympic Winter Games, or the 10th Winter Paralympics, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 12 to 21, 2010. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing Ceremony in Whistler. Main Document The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially known as the X Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia between March 12 to March 21, 2010. Vancouver had been excited about the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics ever since it was announced in July, 2003 that the city would host the winter games. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2010 was the second time Canada has hosted the Paralympics, including the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto.

Vancouver saw the 2010 games (Olympics and Paralympics) as a chance to build on its history as a world-class city that began in 1986 with the World's Fair. On June 7, 2006, Prince Edward, as a member of the Canadian Royal Family, and patron of the British Paralympic Association, raised the flag of the Paralympic Games outside Vancouver City Hall. Five sports were on the Games program: Alpine Skiing, Sledge Hockey The sporting events during the 2010 winter paralympics were shared between Vancouver and Whistler. The mascot, Sumi, an animal guardian spirit with the wings of the Thunderbird and legs of a black bear, is the first time the Olympic and Paralympic mascots were introduced at the same time. Canadian Host Cities for 2010 Paralympic Games Vancouver Vancouver was the Host City of the 2010 Winter Games. It is surrounded by spectacular natural beauty and is recognized as being one of the world's most livable cities, renowned for its innovative programs and leadership in sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity.

Richmond Richmond is a unique, culturally diverse city, close to both downtown Vancouver and the US border. It is home to the spectacular Richmond Olympic Oval, site of the speed skating competitions for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Surrey One of British Columbia's fastest-growing cities, Surrey is home to the Games Preparation Center - a facility that will play a key role in preparing volunteers and ceremony participants in the staging of a successful 2010 Winter Games. Whistler Whistler was named the Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It was the fulfillment of a dream a long time in the making. Since then, Whistler has been busy preparing to welcome the world. Whistler has the largest ski area in North America and is well-positioned as the Host Mountain Resort of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains offer world-class skiing facilities, including new Olympic and Paralympic venues, an intimate, pedestrian-friendly village and a community pride that welcomes spectators, skiers and lovers of winter activities.

Tickets to the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics were sold in three Phases. Phase 1, was open to Canadian residents from October 3 - November 7, 2008 and sold out. International buyers were able to purchase tickets in early 2009. Event times and detailed information for the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics Quick Facts: 2010 Paralympics Serbia made its Winter Paralympics debut as a distinct NPC, following its split with Montenegro. Latvia, which participated in Turin for the 2006 Winter Paralympics, did not send athletes to Vancouver. A total of 506 athletes participated in the Games - An increase from the 476 athletes who participated in 2006. Argentina and Romania took part in the Winter Paralympic Games for the first time, as did Bosnia and Herzegovina. Share on: Olympic Games | Winter Summer Past and Future Olympics Identity Card arrow Getty In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organised a sports competition involving World War II veterans with a spinal cord-related injury in Stoke Mandeville, England.

Four years later, competitors from Holland joined the Games, and the international movement, now known as the Paralympic Movement, was born. Olympic-style games for athletes with a disability were organised for the first time in Rome in 1960. In Toronto in 1976, other disability groups were added and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sports competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden. The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. Since the 1988 Seoul Summer Games and the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, they have also taken place at the same venues as the Olympic Games. On 19 June 2001, an agreement was signed between the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee aimed at protecting the organisation of the Paralympic Games and securing the practice of "one bid, one city", meaning that the staging of the Paralympics is automatically included in the bid for the Olympic Games.

The agreement addresses the general scope and organisation of the Paralympic Games, with the aim of creating similar principles for the organisation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This agreement came into effect with the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, followed by the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Since the Salt Lake 2002 Games, one organising committee has been responsible for hosting both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. Athletes from both Games live in the same village and enjoy the same catering services, medical care and facilities. Ticketing, technology and transport systems for the Olympic Games are seamlessly extended to the Paralympics. Immediately following the end of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, important transformations took place to prepare for the 2002 Winter Paralympics, held from 7 to 16 March 2002. Four hundred and sixteen athletes from 36 nations competed in Alpine and Nordic skiing and ice sledge hockey at the Salt Lake City Paralympics.

The last Paralympic Summer Games were held in Beijing, China, from 6 to 17 September 2008. A total of 3,951 athletes from 146 countries competed in 20 sports in the state-of-the-art venues at the 2008 Paralympics. The Canadian city of Vancouver hosted the Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. A total of 502 athletes from 44 countries took part in the following five sports: Alpine Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey, Cross-Country Skiing, Biathlon and Wheelchair Curling. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organises the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and coordinates the World Championships and other competitions.

The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for persons with a disability from beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality. Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organisation formed and run by 162 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability-specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany. For more information, please visit or Vancouver - 2010 Winter Olympics Host City | Travel Blog Vancouver - 2010 Winter Olympics Host City Vancouver International Airport will be welcoming the world in February 2010. It's Finally 2010! Vancouver, our hometown, will be welcoming the world when the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are held from February 12th to 28th. The 2010 Winter Paralympic Games will be held from March 12th to 21st.

With excitement in the air and national pride building across Canada as the Olympic Torch crosses Canada in the grips of winter, we start our series of Winter Olympic blogs covering venues, sites, and landmarks that will play a prominent role in the host city and its partner municipalities of Whistler, Richmond, and West Vancouver. We hope Olympic visitors and enthusiasts, friends and TravelBlog readers will find this blog informative and inspire those living and traveling to Vancouver to get the most out of their Olympic experience. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to live in a host city, so the Travelling Canucks hope to make the most of it - Mama Canuck and Canuck Junior are taking a two-week Olympic break; unfortunately, Papa Canuck will need to work between Olympic events! The Travelling Canucks have been eagerly waiting for the Games to begin ever since Mama Canuck took Canuck Junior to GM Place over 6 years ago to find out which Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens host city won the bid for the 2010 Winter Games! Luckily, the Travelling Canucks spent the late summer and fall of 2009 touring Olympic venues since all the venues are now sadly surrounded by security barriers.

Whether you attend or follow the Games on TV or on the Net, we hope to share our experiences with you! 39 days to go and counting! Torch Relay The sacred Olympic Flame, lit in an ancient ritual in Olympia, Greece and handed over to Canadian Olympic Officials in Athens, made the Trans-Atlantic flight and arrived in Victoria, BC's capital city, on October 30, 2009. The flame, carried in a miner's lamp, ignites the 2010 Olympic Torch, designed and manufactured by Bombardier. Canada’s open land, vast potential and smooth, fluid lines left in the snow and ice from winter sports were the inspiration for the torch's design. At 37 inches/95 centimetres high and weighing 3.5 pounds/1.6 kilograms, the torch, made of stainless steel and aluminum, is engineered for extreme winter conditions: -40C with a wind of 50km per hour. After bearing the torch for 300 metres, every torchbearer has the option to purchase their torch for $300.

Travelling by land, air, and Olympic Countdown Clock Downtown Vancouver water, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will be the longest torch relay to take place in a host country in the event's history. The Olympic Flame will visit over 1,000 communities as 12,000 torchbearers carry it on its 45,000 kilometre journey by over 100 modes of transport ranging from dog sled, snowmobile, canoe, skateboard and surfboard over 106 days of Canadian winter weather. To date, it has been as cold as -60C with wind chill. Since Canada is one of the largest countries in the world, the Flame will be carried by torchbearers in the more populous centres and transported between communities to ensure 90%!o(MISSING)f Canadians will not have to travel further than one hour to see the torch! Check out the Vancouver 2010 website for videos of the torch relay to watch excited and proud red mitten clad Canadians and visitors gathered to celebrate the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Famous torchbearers to date include former Olympians, NHL star Sidney Crosby, and country singer, Shania Twain. On February 7th, the Olympic Torch will arrive in Metro Vancouver. The Travelling Canucks cannot wait to attend Vancouver's celebration site and watch the Olympic Flame pass through our community! Vancouver is getting ready to wow the world! Vancouver Olympic Venues and Landmarks Vancouver is the largest city to host the Winter Olympics in the event's history. Alpine venues are located in Whistler and on West Vancouver's Cypress Mountain and the speed skating oval is located in Richmond. All the other venues located in Vancouver were refurbished with the exception of the new Trade and Convention Centre, UBC Thunderbird Arena and Curling Rink. The new rapid transit line connecting Richmond/YVR to Downtown Vancouver, called Canada Line, opened in August 2009 and the Ski to Sky Highway linking Vancouver to Whistler has undergone a major upgrade over the past 5 years.

2010 Countdown Clock The official Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock stands in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery giving up to-the-second updates on exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds to go before the opening of the 2010 Winter Games. Canada Place and Vancouver Convention Centre The Vancouver Convention Centre will host the International Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre during the Games with a total of 1.1 million square feet of space to accommodate over 5000 media personnel! The convention centre expansion is a model of green building technology with a six-acre “green” Green roof viewed from the seawall along Harbour Green Park. roof. Canada Place, site of the Canadian Pavilion at the Expo 86 World’s Fair, is a Vancouver icon with its five 90 foot sails that houses the convention centre, cruise ship terminal and Pan Pacific Hotel. British Columbia Canada House and Media Centre Robson Square, located on Robson Street between Hornby and Howe Streets, features the Vancouver Art Gallery at the former Provincial Court House, Arthur Erikson's Provincial Court Complex, and the new GE Ice Plaza.

Robson Square will be the site of the International Media Centre for 2000 unaccredited journalists and British Columbia Canada House featuring exhibits, free entry to the Vancouver Art Gallery (10am to 5pm), and free outdoor skating on the GE Ice Plaza (noon to 9pm). Located in the heart of downtown across from the largest Canadian flag in the world, Robson Square will be a major gathering point over the Games featuring athlete demonstrations, entertainment and family events. The BC Canada House, located on the fourth floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery, will feature interactive displays that will highlight the rich cultural fabric and industry of British Columbia. Vancouver House and LiveCity Celebration Sites LiveCity Yaletown at David BC Canada House at Robson Square Lam Park on Pacific Boulevard is a waterfront celebration site featuring giant screens to watch the sporting action, live entertainment, nightly laser light and water show, Vancouver House, and pavilions of Olympic sponsors - Coca Cola, Samsung, Acer, and Panasonic. LiveCity Yaletown will be open daily from 11am to 11pm. Canada Line Station: Yaletown-Roundhouse.

LiveCity Downtown, across from the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Georgia Street between Beatty and Cambie Streets, is another celebration site that features giant outdoor screens, Canada Pavilion 2010, CentrePlace Manitoba, daytime interactive school programming, street entertainers, and late-night entertainment (Open from 11am to 12:30am). SkyTrain Station: Stadium/Chinatown. Hamilton and Mainland streets will become pedestrian thoroughfares to link the LiveCity sites. Four Host First Nations Pavilion Four Host First Nations Pavilion, located at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza, features Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations arts, crafts, food, stories and culture. The Pavilion features a Trading Post in a Coast Salish longhouse topped by a high-tech 20-metre-high, 3,000 square foot air-supported sphere and a Reception Hall featuring Aboriginal cuisine and stage that will showcase Aboriginal groups from all regions of Canada, including Inuit throat singing, Métis jigging, hoop dancing, as well as on southeast shore of False Creek. contemporary Aboriginal performances.

Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver's Olympic Village is a model of green building technologies, located on the southeast side of False Creek. It not only offers views of the city’s downtown skyline and Coast Mountains, it is within close proximity to GM Place and BC Place Stadiums, shopping and entertainment districts, nightly Victory Ceremonies at BC Place, pavilions, cultural celebrations at the LiveCity sites and transit options: Bombardier streetcar to Granville Island, Canada Line's Olympic Village Station and SkyTrain's Science World/Main Street Station. BC Place Stadium The newly renovated BC Place Stadium will host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Victory Ceremonies. 55,000 spectators will be watching the spectacles under the largest air-supported stadium roof in North America. Victory Ceremonies will feature a provincial celebration, medal ceremony, and musical concert.

Canadian superstars, Nelly Furtado and The Barenaked Ladies, Britain's Stereophonics, Australia's INXS, the East Coast's Great Big Sea, Canadian music legends, Burton Cummings, Trooper and Loverboy, country star, Paul Brandt and newcomers, Theory of a Deadman and Hedley, will be entertaining over 10 nights. Canada Hockey Place and UBC Thunderbird Arena GM Place, renamed Canada Hockey Canada Hockey Place aka General Motors Place and home of the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver's NHL Team. Home of Men's and Women's Hockey Olympic Competition. Place during the Games, is the premier Olympic ice hockey venue. Ordinarily, our NHL hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, call GM Place home. Team Canada, Canada's Olympic Hockey Team, was announced during a one-hour TV special on December 30th to great fanfare. Canada is hockey-crazy with Olympic Gold Medal game tickets going for $7,500 each and $750 to watch the Gold Medal Game on TV at Molson Canadian Hockey House. Hockey fever is rising and will hit its pitch when the puck is dropped at Canada Hockey Place in February with 19,300 cheering hockey fans!

UBC, an Oceanside university campus on Vancouver’s west side, is the site of the new UBC Thunderbird Arena (aka Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre). It will host some of the hockey matches in the men's and women's preliminary hockey rounds on three rinks that will accommodate 6,800 spectators. Molson Canadian Hockey House and Pavilions at Concord Pacific Site Located in between BC Place Stadium and Sochi House (Science World), Molson Canadian Hockey House, located right across the street from Canada Hockey Place, will be party central with a massive 7,500-square-metre facility broadcasting all of the men's and women's games on giant screens. GE Ice Plaza at Robson Square Fun for the whole family. Open daily from noon to 9pm. Besides drinking beer alongside Olympians, NHL Players and Hockey Legends, performances from Sam Roberts, The Barenaked Ladies, Tom Cochran and Colin James, and comedians Brent Butt and Sean Cullen, have been announced. Tickets ranging from $450 to $1,000 per day, or $8,500 for the entire 17 days, are up for grabs!

Provincial pavilions located on the site are: &bullet; Ontario Pavilion - striking in its design, this pavilion will feature exciting, technologically state-of-the-art, original exhibits, events and performances while showcasing made-in-Ontario products and services. &bullet; Quebec Pavilion - expected to be an ultra cool venue, a centrepiece of Quebec culture and cuisine. &bullet; Saskatchewan Pavilion - comprised of a business centre to promote Saskatchewan business opportunities and vacation destinations, and an entertainment venue featuring Saskatchewan entertainment and food. Pacific Coliseum at Hastings Park The newly renovated Pacific Coliseum, accommodating 14,200 spectators, will host short-track speed skating and figure skating events. Vancouver Olympic Centre The Vancouver Olympic Centre, which seats 5,600 curling fans, is located next to the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park with views of the mountains. Richmond and West Vancouver Olympic Venues and Landmarks Richmond Olympic Oval UBC Thunderbird Arena Ice hockey venue at the University of British Columbia westside, oceanside campus. at the Richmond Olympic Oval, a stunning venue on the banks of the Fraser River that will amaze 7,600 spectators.

It beat out the Wimbledon Centre Court roof and the 2008 Olympic Games’ Beijing National Stadium (a.k.a. Bird’s Nest) in the Institution of Structural Engineers’ category of Sports or Leisure Structures! Richmond O Zone The City of Richmond will be hosting a 17-day long Olympic celebration at the Richmond O Zone, located in the city centre at Minoru Park, just blocks away from the Canada Line Brighouse Station. With over 60 acres, the O Zone will be the biggest celebration site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Holland Heineken House Vancouver 2010 will anchor the O Zone. "Dutch Party Central", located at the Minoru Arena, will host 4,000 partygoers from 9pm to 2am and feature celebratory medal ceremonies for successful Dutch athletes. It will be rocking with nightly performances by renowned Dutch artists and DJ's while serving Heineken beer, of course. The O Zone will feature live entertainment and high-definition screens, outdoor skating rink and mammoth ice art, exhibits, virtual bobsleighing, food and fireworks.

Canuck Junior's favourite bands, Our Lady Peace, Bedouin Soundclash, Tokyo Police Club and Richmond Olympic Oval Stunning interior and exterior! Wintersleep, will be headlining. Theme nights will salute Canada’s diverse cultures and regions. Sounds like fun, so you know the Travelling Canucks will be there! To find out more about Richmond, check out our blog Ducks and Dykes on the Delta . Cypress Mountain West Vancouver's Cypress Mountain, the freestyle skiing and snowboard venue, is the site of six courses: Freestyle Skiing Aerials, Freestyle Skiing Moguls, Ski and Snowboard Cross, Snowboard Halfpipe, and Parallel Giant Slalom. Cypress Mountain has three stadiums: The Olympic Snowboard Stadium will accommodate 12,000 cheering fans, 12,000 fans will be watching Freestyle Skiing and 8000 fans will be wowed by the tricks on the Snowboard Halfpipe. The new Cypress Creek Lodge, offering food and drink at the Cypress Creek Grill and Crazy Raven Pub, is a great addition to Cypress Mountain!

Located in Cypress Provincial Park, Cypress Mountain has the largest vertical rise and best snow accumulations on the North Shore mountains featuring 53 downhill winter skiing and riding runs accessed by 6 chairlifts and 2 surface lifts, 19km of track set cross country trails, a snow tubing park with a tube tow lift. Although Cypress is only a 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, Cypress will only be accessible to Long Track Speed Skating Oval. Olympic ticket holders. Skiers/Boarders will have to ski/ride at Grouse Mountain or Seymour Mountain over the Games. West Vancouver Spirit Square The City of West Vancouver will be hosting a 17-day long Olympic celebration at Spirit Square, located in its Community Centre at its new Civic Centre on Marine Drive & 21st Street. Live evening performances in the Atrium of visual artistry, traditional and contemporary music, and a Canadian Space Agency sponsored exhibit, including models of the International Space Station, Canadarm2, and Dextre, will be enjoyed by locals and visitors. Whistler Olympic Venues and Landmarks With more than two million visitors a year, Whistler is consistently ranked as the number one ski resort in North America.

With a long history of hosting International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup competitions, Whistler is poised to co-host the Games. Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village The Olympic and Paralympic Village in Whistler is located within the scenic Cheakamus Valley and less than 20 minutes from all Whistler competition venues. The heart of Whistler’s town centre and the Whistler Celebration Plaza is a 4km shuttle ride from the athletes' village. Whistler Celebration Plaza Cypress Mountain Stadium an outdoor celebration plaza accommodating 8,000 spectators in the town centre. All American Rejects, Estelle, Feist, Our Lady Peace, Hedley, The Fray, and Usher are scheduled to perform after the nightly medal ceremonies. Whistler Sliding Centre The Whistler Sliding Centre will host the Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton competitions on Blackcomb Mountain. 12,000 spectators will be watching athletes slide on one of the fastest tracks in the world. Whistler Creekside Whistler Mountain's Dave Murray Downhill will host the men’s alpine skiing events and Franz's Run will host the women’s alpine skiing events.

Whistler Creekside will accommodate 7,700 spectators for the Downhill Skiing and Giant Slalom events. Whistler Olympic Park The Nordic events of Cross-country Skiing, Biathlon, and Ski Jumping are being held at the beautiful Callaghan Valley's Whistler Olympic Park, which will host 1/3 of all Olympic Winter Games events, including: &bullet; 10 Biathlon events &bullet; 12 Cross-country Skiing events &bullet; 3 Nordic-combined events &bullet; 3 Ski Jumping events The Cross-Country Skiing, Biathlon and Ski Jumping venues, each accommodating 12,000 spectators, feature a 6,000 square-foot technical building, 10 kilometres of competition trails in two distinct five-kilometre loops, 150-metre-long stadium area, state-of-the-art shooting range, large hill and normal hill ski jumps, coaching Olympic Expectations Flying High stands and a state-of-the-art technical building known as the judges’ tower, as well as a spectacular day lodge located between the ski jump area and the cross-country skiing stadium.

For Whistler residents, hotel patrons, and Olympic ticket-holders, Whistler Blackcomb will remain open for skiers and boarders to enjoy. Don't miss out on taking the "Peak 2 Peak" gondola that connects the mountain with the world's longest and highest gondola. It takes travelers on an 11-minute, 4.4km journey, 436m above the valley between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. With one gondola cabin departing every 49 seconds, 2050 people can be moved per hour each way. Very cool! Special Events and Attractions Inukshuk and Vectorial Elevation The city’s landmark Inukshuk, a symbol of Inuit culture gifted to the City of Vancouver by the Northwest Territories following Expo ‘86, stands proudly on the shore of English Bay. This imposing grey granite sculpture was the inspiration for the official logo of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The 2010 Winter Olympics logo is named Ilanaaq the Inunnguaq. Ilanaaq is the Inuktitut word for friend.

From February 4th to 28th, 20 robotic, 10,000-watt searchlights will move and create patterns in the skies over English Inukshuk at English Bay Bay from locations in Vanier Park and Sunset Beach. Covering an area of 100,000 square metres, this art installation will be visible within 15 kilometres of the city’s downtown core, including Richmond, the North Shore, and the peaks of Cypress and Grouse Mountains. At you are invited to design how the lights will move, their angles and how they are clustered in timed sequences to create your own patterns over the Games period. A personalized webpage will be automatically created for you to document your design. A real-time video stream of the work from four cameras placed around English Bay will be viewable via the Internet. Sounds cool! Organizers estimate 130,000 different patterns, displayed rain or shine from dusk to dawn over 24 days, will be viewed by millions. Olympic Superstore and International Village at The Bay Downtown The Hudson's Bay Company is a Canadian institution and the official outfitter of the 2010 Games.

From cuddly mascots to Olympic clothing and memorabilia, Olympic fans can purchase official Vancouver 2010 merchandise at the HBC department stores and online. At the flagship store on the corner of West Georgia and Granville Street, Ralph Lauren's USA Olympic clothing line at Hudson's Bay Company's flagship store at the corner of Granville and Georgia Streets. is for sale! With Olympic merchandise flying off the shelves, especially the Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens, over 1.5 million Canadians are already wearing their red mittens with pride! Come February, the city will be a sea of red and white! Besides the HBC stores, Nike stores carry Olympic-sanctioned clothing, including hockey jerseys for Canadian and International hockey fans. Roots Canada, with a flagship store on the corner of Robson and Burrard Street, is selling its signature clothing for Canadian fans and fans from 14 countries. Lululemon is selling a "rogue" clothing line for Canadian and International fans of the cool event taking place between 2009 and 2011!

Olympic Mascots The three Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics mascots, which were inspired by traditional First Nations creatures, are: &bullet; Miga - a mythical First Nations sea bear that is part killer whale and part Kermode spirit bear. Miga, based on the legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations of orca whales that transform into bears when they arrive on land, is an avid snowboarder. &bullet; Quatchi - a shy sasquatch loves all winter sports, especially hockey. Quatchi dreams of becoming a world-famous goalie. &bullet; Sumi - an animal-guardian spirit that wears the hat Meet the Vancouver 2010 Mascots of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty Thunderbird and runs on the furry legs of the black bear. Mukmuk, a Vancouver Island marmot, is not an official mascot. Although he is just a sidekick, we have a soft spot for Mukmuk since he enjoys popping up unexpectedly, like our travel mascot, Mukluk the Canuck!

Grouse Mountain & NBC's Today Show North Vancouver's Grouse Mountain will be open 24/7 and will play host to NBC's Today Show over the games period. While night skiing is not our thing, the Travelling Canucks are Today Show fans, so we might just visit Grouse Mountain to watch the 4am live broadcasts! To learn more about Grouse Mountain and the North Shore, check out our blog: Peak Experiences on the North Shore . Granville Island's French Quarter Vancouver’s Granville Island will be home to Place de la Francophonie, the “French Quarter” celebrating Canada's French heritage and Francophone culture, House of Switzerland, and Atlantic Canada House. The French Quarter will feature a French bistro and pub, a concert stage, and an "artists' alley" like Rue Sainte-Anne in Quebec City. Besides free performances scheduled on February 12, 14, 15 and 17 listed on the Cultural Switzerland House on Granville Island Olympiad website, there will be family-friendly events and street entertainment. Atlantic Canada House will be located at the Arts Club's Granville Island Stage, Revue Stage, and the Backstage Lounge.

Hosted by the East Coast provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland/Labrador, visitors will be treated to East Coast culinary delights and discover the East Coast's culture and spirit. Atlantic Canadian artists will be featured nightly, and daily performances on the Revue Stage will celebrate the region's culture. Nova Scotia fiddler, Ashley MacIsaac will be performing on one of the nights. Bombardier's European streetcar will shuttle passengers by rail from the Canada Line's Olympic Village station to Granville Island and False Creek water taxis will provide transportation across False Creek. The free shuttle is expected to carry over 500,000 passengers over 2 months starting in mid-January. Taking public transit in its many forms will be the only way to go since it will be impossible to find parking. The Travelling Canucks recommend Granville Island be on everyone's not-to-be missed list! To learn more about Granville Island, check out: Great Times on Granville Island . Cultural Olympiad Sochi Russia 2014 at Telus Science World between the Olympic Athletes Village and Concord Pacific Site.

to March 21st showcasing Canadian and International arts and popular culture, featuring music, dance, theatre, visual arts, film, outdoor spectacles and digital media experiences. Canuck Junior already has tickets for two theatre performances: Robert Lepage: The Blue Dragon and The Drowning Girls! Sochi Russia 2014 Science World is the site of Sochi Russia 2014 House. Sochi, Russia is the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Its pavilion is expected to be spectacular. Pedestrian Malls Four main thoroughfares in the downtown core, Robson Street, Hamilton Street, Mainland Street, and Granville Street, will be pedestrian malls where tens of thousands of people will enjoy restaurants, shopping and the party atmosphere. BC Hydro Power Smart Village The BC Hydro Power Smart Village, one-block from the LiveCity Downtown site on the corner of Dunsmuir and Hamilton Street, will be celebrating the spirit of the games in a theme of conservation and sustainability. Visitors will be able to dance on a sustainable dance floor, create an inspirational message on the digital expression wall, and check out First Nation carvings and “the future is now" home exhibit.

Winning Olympic tickets by taking part in one of their many David Lam Park, site of Livecity Yaletown, easily accessible to Canada Line's Yaletown Roundhouse Station. corporate-sponsored events is reason enough to drop by the village! Olympic Flags at City Hall Vancouver City Hall, where the Olympic and Paralympic flags have been flying high for over 3 years, is also the site of the 1952 Oslo Flag which is encased in glass on the main floor of the building. Once the Games are over, the flag will fly to Sochi, Russia, the host city of the 2014 Winter Games. Canada Line The Canada Line, an extension to Vancouver’s SkyTrain rapid transit network, opened in August 2009. The new line, which runs under Cambie and Granville Streets, connects the Vancouver International Airport and Richmond city center and downtown Vancouver in about 25 minutes.

Transferring at Waterfront Station to SkyTrain's Expo Line, transit riders can stop at Stadium/Chinatown Station to get to Canada Hockey Place and BC Place stadiums, stop at Science World/Main Street Station to get to the Concord Pacific site and Olympic Village, or board the SeaBus at Waterfront Station to get to the North Shore, Cypress Mountain and Whistler venues. Olympic ticket-holders will ride free on the transit network on the day of their ticketed event. Taking a car to the Vancouver City Hall Where are the flags? venues is not an option! On the Canada Line, transit riders can get to the Richmond Oval (Aberdeen Station) and Richmond O Zone (Richmond Brighouse Station), or stop at Langara/49th Avenue Station to transfer to the Langara Olympic Venue Bus Network to get to Cypress Mountain and Whistler ticketed events or stop off at the Olympic Village Station to take the Bombardier streetcar to Granville Island. With record snowfalls in November and an early opening, snow accumulations should not be an issue! No matter, millions of dollars have been spent on snowmaking equipment! The only questions left are: Where is the Olympic Flame going to burn bright?

Who will be the last torchbearer to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony? And, Who will be performing at the opening and closing ceremonies? To find out, don't forget to check out our upcoming blogs on our Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics experience! 2010 Winter Olympic And Paralympic Games | Whistler Blackcomb Stay Longer, Save More Save up to 35% off lodging rates throughout the season - the longer you stay, the bigger the savings! 2010 Winter Olympic And Paralympic Games During the winter of 2009/2010, Whistler Blackcomb realized a five-decade-long dream of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Olympics. Olympic Legacy Athletes Alpine Skiing Venue The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was Whistler Blackcomb's chance to make Canada proud. Though years of hard work went into the planning of a well-executed Games, there could be no accounting for the incredible energy, enthusiasm and pride that spontaneously erupted from everyone who experienced them.

Whistler Blackcomb played host to the world's best athletes and a global contingent of volunteers, and this diversity provided the memories that we will carry with us forever as souvenirs. Olympic Legacy OLYMPIC AFTERGLOW With the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a resounding success, Whistler Blackcomb invites the world to experience the legacies and magic of the Games. The Official Alpine Skiing Venue, which includes the Dave Murray Downhill and the Women's Course on Whistler Mountain which the Olympians and Paralympians competed on, are open to the public for skiing and snowboarding. Snowmaking capabilities at Whistler Blackcomb have more than doubled due to a four-year partnership and a $17.5 million investment by VANOC. Guests will enjoy improved early-season snow coverage as well as longer lasting ski outs as the season winds down. The Sea to Sky Highway, greatly improved during the lead up to the Games, is now a faster, safer and more scenic route from Vancouver to Whistler. OLYMPIC LEGACY DISPLAY A new addition this season is the Roundhouse Lodge Olympic Legacy Display, showcasing the achievements of local athletes and Games-time highlights.

The display includes athlete stories, photos, Didier Defago's gold medal winning Rossignol skis and a wood carved replica of the medals podium for your own Olympic photo opportunities. Born for the Games A DESTINY REALIZED The ski area was, in fact, born for the Games. Inspired by a trip to the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics, Franz Wilhelmsen formed Garibaldi Lift Limited, which lead to the launch of Whistler Mountain in 1966. The rest, they say, is history. In the early 1960's Garibaldi Olympic Development Association searched the Coast Mountain Range for the ideal spot to host the Olympic Games. London Mountain was eventually chosen and renamed Whistler Mountain. Three unsuccessful bids were made in an attempt to secure the games between 1962 and 1973. In 1974 the B.C. government backed the town initiative and helped Whistler develop the proper infrastructure to make the dream a reality.

Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains merged in 1997, and on July 2, 2003 the International Olympic Committee announced that Whistler/Vancouver and would host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. THE PARALYMPICS STORY As the follow up to the Olympic Games, Canada's first ever Paralympic Winter Games became not just about athletic achievement, but about perseverance and overcoming great odds in the pursuit of personal goals. Gifted athletes from all disciplines inspired the world with their determination, commitment and courageous performances. The Paralympic Alpine events hosted on Whistler Mountain served to redefine the perceptions of "disabilities" for all of those who watched and marveled at the grit, determination and skill demonstrated by the athletes during the eight day celebration. VIBE IN THE VILLAGE While the Games were undoubtably about sport, there was no need to attend an event to feel the Olympic energy. Giant television screens in Whistler Village broadcast live events, highlights and special features, pub and restaurant patios were packed with Games enthusiasts, Whistler's walkways were alive with revelers boasting flags, national colours, costumes and cowbells.

The result was an unmistakable spirit of unity and celebration that only the Olympic Games can create. THE RED MITTENS STORY The bright red, maple leaf-emblazened mittens created specifically for the Games became one of its most enduring icons. While they were intended to represent the patriotic, playful and resilient nature of Canadians, they ended up as the "must have" fun and functional memento of the 2010 Games. Athletes SEA TO SKY ATHLETES Whistler is an outdoor playground, so it’s no wonder that Whistler Blackcomb is a hotbed for young athletes who aspire to one day be on top of the podium. And there are a number who’ve done just that. Athletes can take advantage of one of North American’s longest ski and snowboard seasons, world-class facilities and unrivaled training camps. USA half-pipe gold medalist and all-round snowboarding rock star Shaun White, cut his teeth on Blackcomb’s Horstman Glacier with the Camp of Champions summer program. Freestyle skier Alex Bilodeau, who won Canada’s first ever gold medal on home soil, has been involved in the Momentum Ski Camps for many years and has recently returned as a coach to pay it forward.

There are a total of 13 Olympic and 5 Paralympic ski and snowboard athletes from the Sea to Sky Corridor who competed in the 2010 Winter Games. They are: OLYMPICS: Ashleigh McIvor (Gold Medalist In First Ever Ski Cross Athlete) As an athlete with an inspiring confidence and a drive to accomplish whatever goal she sets for herself Ashleigh McIvor was favoured going into the 2010 Games. The Whistler born-and-raised racer didn't disappoint, as she took home the first ever women's Skiercross gold medal and inspired a nation of young people and brought world-wide attention to the relatively new sport. Britt Janyk (Alpine Skier) Michael Janyk (Alpine Skier) Britt and Michael Janyk, both title holders of the Canadian Skiing Championships, competed on the same team at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and, having skied at Whistler Blackcomb since childhood, felt right at home. The siblings have been living and training in Whistler since their teens, and are local heroes to Whistler residents.

Britt and Michael led the parade through Whistler during Vancouver's opening ceremonies, reminding Whistlerites that as international as the Games are, inspiration starts at home. Davey Barr – (Freestyle Skier) Julia Murray (Ski Cross Athlete) Justin Lamoureaux (Snowboard Halfpipe Athlete) Kristi Richards (Freestyle Skier) Maelle Ricker (Gold Medalist In Snowboard Cross Athlete) Squamish snowboarder Maelle Ricker dreamt of winning an Olympic gold medal long before her sport was named an Olympic event. The Vancouver-born athlete placed fourth in the 2006 Turin Games after a crash left her hospitalized with a minor concussion. Ricker's win in Snowboard Cross in 2010 made her the first Canadian female athlete to win a gold medal on home soil, citing her near miss in Turin as the main source of her motivation. Manuel Osborne Paradis (Alpine Skiing) Robbie Dixon (Alpine Skier) Two of Canada's strongest and most dedicated ski racers made their country proud by putting it all on the line during the 2010 Games.

Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Robbie Dixon, both racers who grew up skiing with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, took their experience as Top 10 World Cup competitors to the Dave Murray Downhill course and, while they came away empty handed, remain resolutely focused on the 2014 Games. Megan Tandy (Biathalete) Mercedes Nicoll (Snowboard Halfpipe Athlete) Rob Fagan (Snowboard Athlete) Tyler Mosher (Adaptive Cross Country Skier) Matt Hallatt (Para-Alpine Skier) Born in Vancouver and currently residing in Squamish, Matthew Hallat is the Sea-to-Sky Corridor's only downhill Paralympian. His leg was amputated as a result of cancer when he was five years old, and he began ski racing seven years later. He competed in the 2006 Paralympics Winter Games and has since become a five-time Canadian National Slalom Champion and Top 10 competitor on the World Cup circuit. Hallat placed 11th in the Men's Standing Downhill and 17th in the Men's Standing Slalom at the 2010 Paralympic Games.

Morgan Perrin (Para-Alpine Skier)

Question: Which city hosted the 2010 Paralympic Games?
Answer: Vancouver